“Like all really nice people, you have a weakness for detective stories…The least that I can do is write you one.” So wrote A. A. Milne to his father, to whom he dedicated this delectable mystery.

Mark Ablett’s stately mansion, the Red House, is filled with very proper guests when his most improper brother returns from Australia. The prodigal brother enters Mark’s study, the parlor maid hears arguing, and the brother dies—rather suddenly, with a bullet between his eyes. The study is locked from the inside, and Mark is missing!

Investigating the crime is wealthy Antony Gillingham, who rivals Sherlock Holmes in his remarkable powers of observation. He is aided by his friend, Bill Beverley, a cheerful young man in white flannels. Echoes of Christopher Robin and his friends chime nostalgically throughout this charming classic of detection!

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Quotes & Awards

“It is an agreeable book…written with a deceptive smoothness that is not as easy as it looks.”

Raymond Chandler

“A detective comedy of pronounced élan and ingenuity.”

Times Literary Supplement (London)

“Though Milne is immediately associated with Winnie-the-Pooh and pals, he nonetheless wrote a number of adult titles, including this 1922 novel in which guests at a country estate become amateur sleuths when a shooting occurs and all evidence points toward their host.”

Library Journal

“This droll whodunit from the creator of Winnie the Pooh sparkles with witty dialogue, deft plotting, and an amusing cast. In between taking tea and playing billiards, an amateur detective and his chum investigate their genial host’s disappearance. A series of lighthearted capers ensues, replete with secret passageways, underwater evidence, and other atmospheric devices.”

Goodreads.com

Listener Opinions

by Steff | 2/13/2014

" I wish he had written more of these mysteries. He could have done a whole series. "

by Bonnie Needles | 2/11/2014

" After reading the book and then reading some of the reviews I agree with everyone! It was a delightful romp into an Edwardian era and so like Wooster and Christie. "

by Andrea Sachs | 2/10/2014

" Rather fun, old-fashioned mystery by Winnie The Pooh author - surprise! You get to unravel the mystery as the main character does - and there is little else about the book. The characters aren't very well defined, but you get some idea of them. It is mainly a puzzle to solve. "

by Martine Peacock | 2/10/2014

" The book captures a time when young men smoked pipes, linked arms, attended house parties held by wealthy hosts, and said, "Righto" a lot. I'm glad Milne moved on to Winnie-the-Pooh as I wouldn't bother with another of these mysteries if there were one. It's pleasant and droll, but no more. "

" Who knew that A.A. Milne, the author of the Winnie the Pooh books, also wrote a murder mystery? There are no cute, fuzzy animals in this one, but an air of dry humor still lightens the mood. A lot of fun. "

Marci | 1/27/2014

" A.A. Milne wrote a very decent mystery with all the elements of the Golden Age of British mystery novels: the locked room, the country house, the cast of seemingly stock characters, and the amateur sleuth. I liked the sidekick especially. "

Jennifer | 1/18/2014

" In his introduction to The Red House Mystery, Milne lays out his requirements for a good detective story: it must be written in simple language, brook no romantic interludes, and feature an amateur sleuth (with his Watson). The author of Winnie the Pooh's one foray into the mystery genre clings closely to all these rules...and loses something for it. The Red House Mystery is rather bloodless and workmanlike as mysteries go - entertaining enough, but a bit flat. Not to mention one spends the entire thing expecting to discover the corpse of Christopher Robin stuffed in a closet somewhere. "

Missmissie82 | 1/17/2014

" A little slow, starting off... "

David Marshall | 1/8/2014

" The only book that I have read by Milne was something quite out of the ordinary for him! A blue blood, English country garden murder mystery. Fun story, and thoroughly enjoyable. "

Doug | 1/1/2014

" An enjoyable romp. Hard to credit this to the same author as 'winnie the pooh'. "

Tessa | 1/1/2014

" I guessed the main plot twist way at the beginning, but I still liked it. "

Kathy | 12/27/2013

" I always loved A.A. Milne. Not just Winnie the Pooh but the his kids' poems are amazing. Never knew he wrote anything for adults. It was written for Milne's father who apparently loved a good mystery. copyrighted in 1922...Can't wait to read it. "

Ellen | 12/21/2013

" A clever cosy murder mystery written by AA Milne in the days before Pooh. "

Heather Bond | 12/8/2013

" Delightful country house mystery. Great fun. "

Sarah Sammis | 12/8/2013

" It is one of my all time favorite mysteries and I wished I owned a copy. "

Richard | 11/16/2013

" Light and engaging as you might expect but all rather inconsequential and obvious. I doubt few regular readers of detective yarns will fail to guess the solution almost at once. "

Vickie Buenger | 10/25/2013

" Who wouldn't like a gentle mystery written by the creator of Winnie-the-Pooh and Piglet? Especially if he wrote it especially for his father, who loved a good mystery. It may not be the most sophisticated mystery ever written, but it was impossible for me to resist. "

Debbie Brownlee | 10/19/2013

" From the author of Winnie the Pooh. Light hearted mystery. Cute. "

Teresa | 10/12/2013

" I wish he had written more mysteries! "

Doris Pavonarius | 10/6/2013

" He also wrote Winnie the Pooh! "

Janet | 9/7/2013

" Easy to follow the characters, not even hard to guess the "who did it?" but still well written and easy to read, enjoyable book. "

Andrea Sachs | 8/6/2013

" Rather fun, old-fashioned mystery by Winnie The Pooh author - surprise! You get to unravel the mystery as the main character does - and there is little else about the book. The characters aren't very well defined, but you get some idea of them. It is mainly a puzzle to solve. "

Erick Flaig | 3/22/2013

" Started out very well, but I think it dragged a bit toward the middle and end. Certainly a different sort of book for the author of Pooh to take on, and were he not Pooh's creator, I don't think Red House Mystery would be much remembered today. "

Victoria | 1/30/2013

" Agatha Christie only not as difficult to figure out whodunit. P.G. Wodehouse only not as funny. Really an enjoyable short novel though that was a fun way to spend an afternoon. "

Scilla | 1/14/2013

" I enjoyed this mystery written by A. A. Milne in 1922 for his father. In this story, an amateur detective solves a mystery which the local police have been duped by the murderer. Although old fashioned, the plot is clever, and well-developed. It takes place at an estate in the English countryside. "

Janet | 12/18/2012

" Easy to follow the characters, not even hard to guess the "who did it?" but still well written and easy to read, enjoyable book. "

Helen | 3/24/2012

" I listened to this book on librivox.org. It is an engaging mystery, very much like Sherlock Holmes. "

Randomcookies | 3/20/2012

" Really enjoyed reading this. I pick it back up and re-read it every few years, just for kicks. Just the right blend. "

Greta | 1/29/2012

" reminded me of an Agatha Christie mystery "

Dona | 1/21/2012

" Probably closer to a 3.5 than 3.0. I wanted to like this book, and thought I would really like it, much more than I actually did. "

Steff | 12/24/2011

" I wish he had written more of these mysteries. He could have done a whole series. "

Rene | 10/28/2011

" The only detective novel written by A.A.Milne, and a very good one. Many surprises and a very acceptable plot. I hugely enjoyed it. "

Penny | 10/26/2011

" Enjoyed this Cozy mystery book, not a tremendous twist at the end, but a bit curious ending, I figured it out about 60 percent complete, very good read..Kind of a sherlock holmes type mystery, good curl up on a rainy day read. "

Helen | 10/21/2011

" I listened to this book on librivox.org. It is an engaging mystery, very much like Sherlock Holmes. "

Joyce Terranoa | 8/13/2011

" It was like reading an amateur Sherlock Holmes "

Taunja Thomson | 8/4/2011

" So much fun! The two main characters, the "sleuths," are engaging, and the clues kept me guessing until the end. I wish Milne had done more of these. "

David Marshall | 7/1/2011

" The only book that I have read by Milne was something quite out of the ordinary for him! A blue blood, English country garden murder mystery. Fun story, and thoroughly enjoyable. "

Kimberly | 6/9/2011

" A good, quick read. Had no idea Winnie the Pooh's author wrote mysteries. "

Patty | 5/7/2011

" A fun English country house mystery. This could have been the start of an interest series but he only ever did the one.
"

Dave | 4/29/2011

" Not sure what I expected here but honestly it was a fairly average mystery in the classically type sense (i.e. no expensive violence or vulgarity that many modern mysteries have). If you are curious what else A. A. Milne wrote it is worth reading but don't expect anything too special.
"

Paul | 4/25/2011

" In his autobiography, Milne said this was the only mystery he ever wrote because he wrote the perfect mystery the first time. It may not be perfect, but it is very good.
"

" I can never guess these murder mysteries and this one has a tricky twist. A good lot of dramatic bits too.
"

Anna | 2/21/2011

" I admit it was obvious who the killer was the whole time, the true twist is who the murdered person was. But for the dude that wrote Winne the Pooh, he did well. (He needed a little less swearing though.)
"

Mary Ann | 2/17/2011

" Read this as an ebook downloaded to my phone from the library. I thoroughly enjoyed it. The humor makes this murder mystery fun to read and the mystery has just enough twist for a surprise ending.
"

Mel | 2/15/2011

" How fun to find a mystery by this author, I almost felt like I discovered a Poe or Agatha Christie that I had never read, I enjoyed the sleuth's sense of humor...
"

Donna | 2/6/2011

" Spot on British country house mystery from an author not known for mysteries, in fact, this is the only mystery that A. A. Milne wrote.

Thoroughly enjoyable with all the things you expect in a book from the golden age of British mysteries.
"

Kimberly | 2/5/2011

" A good, quick read. Had no idea Winnie the Pooh's author wrote mysteries.
"

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